Reality Check
by superherofan95
Summary: Post SR xover Smallville. It's a few weeks after the events of SR. Sarah's adjusting to living with Clark again. She encounters another unknown ARCON experiment who has the ability to time travel, but is accidentally sent 12 years in the past.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello to my fantastic readers!**

**I did some tweaks to this and will do some minor tweaking to the other chapters. I've realized I made some errors once I printed them out and took a closer at them. Anyway, for those who are joining us, it's best to read the first Superman story I have on here. It explains who the characters are. This story is going to have a crap load of chapters because it will combine a few episodes of Smallville which the episode stuff will be split up into sections. So for those who have read the first Superman story, if you remember Luke from the end of Chapter 15, he is back and will be a romantic interest for Sarah playing an important role.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**SHF95 **

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><p><strong> Prologue<strong>

I was dead. I was one hundred percent sure I was dead. All I could see was darkness and I felt the cold. But I was proven wrong when I heard a pair of voices and felt something stiff and heavy on my shoulder. One of the voices sounded very familiar to me. Like I knew that person so well, I could pick him or her out in a large crowd.

"How is she?" A man's voice that was filled with concern asked. This man that was talking, _he _was the one who I recognized. At least I think I do. Everything that's happened in the past few hours has been very weird.

"We're lucky that she got in here quickly." Another man spoke, but the way he spoke sounded medical. As if he was a doctor of some sort. "If you waited, an infection would have set in and it would have been difficult for her to recover. The gunshot wound was a clean entry and we were able to stitch the wound. Once it heals, there will be some unfortunate scarring. It's going to take some time, though. She'll need to take some antibiotics to prevent possible infection and painkillers if needed. Otherwise, her vital signs are fine, but we should keep her here for a few more days just to take a precaution."

"Thank you, Doctor Hamilton." A woman spoke.

"It's my pleasure, Chloe." Doctor Hamilton assured. "But there is no need for formal titles since you both know me so well."

"Thanks again, Emil." The first man replied. There was the sound of a pair of footsteps leaving the room and a door quickly opened and was shut as someone exited.

"You okay, Clark?" The one called Chloe asked.

"Not really, Chloe." The one called Clark replied. Bitterness filled his voice as if he were upset about something; like he failed something very important.

"What is it, then?" Chloe asked with concern for her friend.

"This girl," Clark began to explain, "I feel like I know her. I've never seen her in my life before, but I feel like I know who she is. And she reminds me so much of my sister. Seeing her wounded is like I failed to protect my sister."

"But you've never failed to protect Sarah." Chloe replied.

"I know, but the thought of that is having me on edge."

"Right now, the only thing that matters is that this girl is alive, so quit beating yourself up just because she's in the hospital."

**Chapter One**

_The sky was a dark gray with thunder and lightning crashing through the sky. Waves crashed up against the sides of the rocky cliff that was hundreds of feet above the water. The structure of the landmass was definitely not something one would find on Earth. This was New Krypton. Billions of lives were at stake if my brother didn't do anything about it. But Clark is nothing like that. He cares about the lives of every individual on this planet. He may be like a god when it comes to possessing other worldly abilities, but he treats us like there is no difference between us. That's one of many things I love about Clark._

_ I stood frozen in horror as I helplessly watched Clark being beaten by several of Lex Luthor's thugs. Why am I still having this nightmare? This was two weeks ago when I was with Richard, Lois, and Jason in the seaplane when we were rescued from a watery grave. I braced myself knowing what was going to happen next. Luthor walked up behind Clark's beaten figure and pulled out a long shard of kryptonite from his coat pocket. He took the shard and plunged it deep into Clark's back. No matter how many times I've had this dream, I still couldn't handle Clark's anguish scream of unimaginable pain. _

_"Now fly." Luthor sneered. Tears welled up as I watched Clark having a very difficult time standing up on his own, but he managed. He stood up and fell backwards all the way down to the ocean below that was hundreds of feet away. I broke free of my trance and jumped off the cliff after him._

I woke up with a start and shot up from my bed. Actually, it was the floor. Half of my sheets were yanked off my bed in a tangled mess around my legs. I didn't realize that I was breathing hard and my heart hammered wildly against my chest. A pair of footsteps moved quickly towards the door to my bedroom. It opened revealing a startled Clark.

"What happened? Are you okay?" He joined me at my side and helped sit up. He instinctively wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"It happened again." I sighed while leaning my head against his chest. The fabric of his white cotton shirt felt comforting. It was nine thirty and he was already wearing jeans. Typical. The only thing that was missing from his 'Clark' persona was his glasses. How people can be tricked by a pair of glasses is one thing I will never understand. Though, I'm doing my part of keeping his secret safe and he keeps the secret that I posses abilities safe as well.

Yes, I do have abilities and it's a long story of how I got them. To summarize, I was created in a secret lab facility branch under Luthor Corp called ARCON under the orders of Lionel Luthor. Which he got samples from both of my parents when my mom was working for him for a bit. So technically speaking, I am in fact a Kent. During the process of the creation, the scientists inserted certain chemical compounds in the environment I was growing in. When I was first brought into the world, they had me scanned several times for any signs of abilities.

When Lionel thought he failed, he decided to give me back to my parents instead of destroying new life. According to my mom, dad, and Clark, that was very rare because Lionel had a cold heart. Perhaps it was an act of courtesy because he loved my mom. For the first few years of my life, nothing out of the ordinary happened. When I was the age of four or five years old, I had to be brought back to Luthor Corp a few times to have my blood tested. When they went through the results, they found out my abilities had to be triggered by a large state of emotion. Lionel wanted to keep me, but my mom wouldn't allow any further testing on me. I already have a life and she didn't want it to be taken away. Lionel agreed once more on my mom's wishes and he respected it.

Lionel no longer posed as a threat to our family when he suddenly died a few months later which was okay. Things changed as I began to travel around the country with Mom while Clark stayed in Metropolis focusing on getting a job and protecting the city. When I was ten, Mom decided to rest on travel so we stayed back on the farm. When Clark's job at the _Daily Planet _was going very well, he offered to take me in. The two of them discussed for weeks and Mom finally agreed to it. Soon after that, Clark adopted the Superman persona that everyone has come accustomed to. Everything was going great until a year later when astronomers thought they discovered the remains of Clark's home world, Krypton.

Little did I know that after he left for five years to search for it, my life would become a living Hell on Earth. Just one year after Clark left, I began to have terrible headaches, hear voices in my head, and almost everything I touched ended up getting soaked in water. It made it even harder to control it when I was living under the same roof as the city's best reporter, Lois Lane. A.K.A: the love of Clark's life. I soon came to discover that I could read minds, have enhanced hearing exactly like Clark, and I could bend water into any shape or form I wanted it to be simply using my imagination and my hands. It took loads of practice just to get it down and build a mental wall from reading people's thoughts.

After a few months, I was able to master my new abilities. I learned also that I'm able to learn things a little quicker than most people, I can run faster than the average human, and I live a few hundred years longer than regular humans. I also learned the emotions I experienced when Clark left acted as a catalyst to trigger my abilities.

When Clark came back a few weeks ago, everything was okay again. That was until Lex Luthor released a crystal from the Fortress encased in kryptonite into the ocean to create a new continent. So Clark manages to lift it into space and sends it into orbit before he blacks out and falls back into Metropolis. For two days our city was put on edge as we waited for him to come to. After visiting the hospital while he was still in a coma, I had a run in with Mom. She told me everything about myself which is how I learned about how I was created. I had fortunately met the head Runner who trains new-comers the same night. Runners are a group of people who use the rooftops as pathways to transport secret messages and packages across the city to clients. Of course the mayor of the city knew about it, but he doesn't do squat about it.

Everything was going excellent in the Runners until the head Runner who trained me went rogue a few days ago. Thanks to her, I'm now jobless and the police are out looking for all of us. As of now, they're going for city-known Runners. Runners they've kept an eye on and are familiar with their identities. Once they capture them, they'll be hunting for us. Our group had us split up so they can't track the young ones, which would be me for an example. They're doing everything they can to keep us safe and they stay in touch to let us know what's going on.

"You had another nightmare?" Clark asked. I nodded. "Was this one like the others as before?"

"Yes, but this time I was standing right next to you. And when I dove off the cliff to come after you, I couldn't find you anywhere in the water. I lost you." I didn't realize I was shaking until Clark was gently rubbing my arm in comfort.

"Hey," He soothed, "It's going to be alright. I'm here. I promise until there's not a breath left in me that you are never going to lose me. I'm not that easy to get rid of." He reassured me with a smile. A soft breeze blew into the room and scattered loose papers everywhere.

"Ah crap." I blew a breath out while getting up to close the window until there was a crack. Clark helped pick up the papers, but as he was doing that, he studied them.

"What are these drawings of?" He looked at one of them.

"Things and places in the dreams I'm having." I explained walking over to him showing him a couple.

"So after you wake up from a dream you draw what you see?" He asked. I nodded.

"Everything is clearly detailed as if I was really there." I replied. Suddenly I felt a dull pain in my left arm. I rolled my sleeve up to find a bruise forming. "Well, look what we have here."

"You alright?"

"Must've hit something when I fell out of bed," I examined. "A little of water should do the trick to heal it up."

"While you do that I'll fix some breakfast." We headed out of the bedroom and to the living room of our small apartment. I headed to the bathroom off in the corner and flipped on the light then turned the faucet on. I splashed some water on my face and shut the water off. A strange feeling ran through me. It felt like electricity was passing right through me only I felt more awake and focused. I dried my face off and stared at my reflection.

"AAAHHH!" I screamed in surprise. The iris of my eyes were a very bright shade of unearthly blue.

"SARAH!" Clark blurred to the bathroom. "What's-" I spun around and faced him.

"I don't know what's happening!"

"What did you do?"

"All I did was splash water in my face! And then I felt this weird electricity feeling running through me! And when I looked up in the mirror my eyes were like this!" I tried to explain.

"Sarah, listen to me. Close your eyes and take a deep breath." Clark put his hands on my shoulders to help me calm down. "Just relax." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Calmness flooded through me replacing the strange jolt. "Feel better?" I nodded. "Now, open your eyes." I opened them and stared at him.

"Well?" I asked.

"Look for yourself." He nodded once towards the mirror. I turned around and inhaled a breath. My eyes were their normal color again.

"How…"

"Since you can bend water and you can heal with it, maybe you're more alert and energized when you submerge yourself with it. Or at least get it on you." Clark thought for a minute. "It's kind of similar how the sun strengthens me. Instead with you, you're strengthened by water. Do you kind of follow it?"

"Yeah," I replied slowly adjusting it in my head. "That's just a little weird, though."

"And having abilities and a brother from another planet with abilities isn't weird?"

"You have a point." I chuckled. We headed back to the kitchen where Clark had started making breakfast. "So what are we doing today?"

"_You_ are babysitting Jason while Lois is out doing errands and Richard is working at the Daily Planet. I'm most likely to be out for a few hours flying around. And Lois is bringing him here at ten." Clark explained today's events. "I'm sorry if I won't be around much today, Sarah."

"If I've made it through five years of your absence, then I'm sure I can handle with you being gone for a few hours. At least I know that you're back for good. The world needs Superman and I'm not going to be a burden that's holding you back from helping others. I'll be fine."

"Alright," He reluctantly agreed. "I feel guilty for leaving you alone for a few hours, though."

"Quit beating yourself up, I'll be fine." I insisted.

"Even though you're human, I swear sometimes I think you're like me."

"Is that good or bad?"

"It's very good as a matter of fact." He replied putting a grin on my face. "You'd do anything to protect those around you. Especially the ones you care about the most." I sat at the counter while Clark made breakfast. Today, it was scrambled eggs with bacon and toast. I hopped off the counter, grabbed two glasses, and pulled out a carton of orange juice from the fridge. We sat down and ate breakfast which was pretty good.

"Not bad for not cooking in awhile." I complimented.

"Not bad at all." He agreed. As soon as we finished cleaning up, Clark headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I headed into my room and changed into some jeans and a Doctor Who shirt that read 'The Angels Have the Phonebox' on the front in electric blue lettering and a picture of the TARDIS. I brushed my hair out and pulled it up. A knock at the door was brought to my attention as I came out of my room.

"I got it!" I called. I headed to the door and opened it, but I was in for a surprise. "Luke?" Luke Knight, the cousin of my other friend Kristen, has been my best friend since the fifth grade. He's also got parents from England. They moved to America just a year before he was born. He was a few inches taller than me, funny, smart, very nice and sweet, caring, protective, had brown hair, and gorgeous blue eyes. He also had a natural english accent from being around his parents. They do a lot of British traditions that go on over in England.

"Hi, Sarah," Luke greeted with his charming smile. I felt my heart skip a beat. "Nice shirt. I like it a lot."

"Oh, umm…thank you." I blushed a little. "So, how are you?" I stepped out of the apartment and closed the door behind me.

"I'm doing alright. How about you?" He asked. _Just ask her out, you dunce!_

"I'm fine. I've had better days, but it's a slow morning." I shrugged.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today if it's alright with you." _Quit freaking out! It's just a simple question!_

"I'd love to, but not at the moment right now because I have to babysit Jason at ten. How does meeting at the café on Bryson at one sound to you?"

"Perfect," He smiled. "I'll see you there."

"Just one more thing," I added.

"Yes?"

"You'd just happened to be walking by the apartment building, right? Or were you trying to ask me on a date?" I gave him a sly smile.

"I was walking to the market to get a few things for my mum. She needed a few things for making supper tonight." Luke replied. _Kind of a combination of both, actually,_

"Well, I'll see you at one." I smiled at him.

"See you, then." He turned and headed towards the elevator. I watched him until the elevator doors closed.

"You know, he really likes you." Clark noted from behind. I jumped a little. "Seems like a nice guy."

"Jeeze, Clark, you scared the crap out of me!" I exclaimed. He chuckled in amusement. "Since when do you care about friends of mine who are guys?"

"Since I came back from being gone for five years and made the decision to be your guardian again. You may be sixteen, but you're still my baby sister. I just don't want to see you get hurt by some guy. Not only that, but I don't want you to be pressured to do something you are uncomfortable with." Clark replied.

"Fair point," I replied while heading inside and closed the door behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my minions.**

**Please enjoy this chapter of Reality Check! I would be grateful you leave a review. Make sure you check out the Props Section if you are ever curious about something in the story. Let me know what you like about the chapter or the whole story.**

**Love you guys!**

**SHF95**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

I sat on the couch wondering what I was going to do today to keep Jason entertained for the day. Maybe taking him to the park would be a good idea. My train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door. I got up and opened the door.

"Sarah!" A small little monster in the form of a boy with brown hair and unearthly blue eyes squealed while jumping into my arms.

"Hey, Kiddo," I picked him up. "How are you doing?"

"Good." He replied with a smile.

"You're not being a pain to your mom, are you?"

"No," He shook his head still smiling. Oh yes he was.

"I beg to differ." Lois put in. "He couldn't stop talking about spending the morning with you yesterday and this morning."

"Hi, Lois," I chuckled.

"How are you doing, Sarah?" She gave me a hug. "Everything's going okay?"

"I'm doing pretty well. And everything's going great." I replied. "Clark took me paintballing yesterday. We had an intense game of Capture the Flag with a whole bunch of other people."

"Did you guys win?"

"I definitely kicked Clark's butt." I grinned. "But he was pretty tough for trying it out the first time."

"Nice one," Lois laughed.

"She was really hard to get." Clark commented coming out from the bathroom with towel-dried hair and his glasses were on. I moved out of the way for Lois to come through. "Hi, Lois,"

"Hey, Clark," She greeted back.

"Can we play the piano today?" Jason asked.

"Yes we can." I replied. I set him down and he ran off to my room where my Yamaha electric piano was. I headed after him as he bounced with excitement. Jason sat on my bed waiting in anticipation. I sat down at the piano and switched it on before he sat on my lap. "So what do you want to play?"

"The one you and I always play together." He replied. We shifted so we were sitting in the right spots to play 'Heart and Soul'.

_"Your sister's great with Jason."_ Lois was talking to Clark in the living room.

_"Is she really?"_

_"Yeah, he was so excited to see her again since you two moved here. She's a role model to him."_

_"So how have things been since…?" _Clark was talking about how we were held hostage on a yacht and ended up trapped in a food pantry when it was sinking into the ocean.

_"They were a bit shaky at first, but they got better."_

_"That's good to hear."_

_"Thanks for asking."_

_"And Richard's been okay?"_

_"Yeah, he's doing okay." _I didn't hear anything from them for a few seconds. _"Well, I guess I better get going. Richard will be here at noon to pick Jason up."_

_"Okay, then."_

_"Bye, Clark. Bye, Jason!"_ She had a small smile in her voice. Jason got up and ran to Lois to hug her goodbye.

_"Bye, Mommy,"_

_"Be good for Sarah and Clark, okay? Daddy will pick you up at lunch time. Bye, Sweet Pea," _I came out of my room to see her off. "Thank you so much for watching him, Sarah." She said as she headed out the door.

"Any time, Lois, I'd be glad to help out with him." I replied.

"Bye, Lois," Clark softly said.

"Now what," I asked as soon as the door closed.

"Can we go to the park?" Jason asked.

"I think we probably can." I said. "What do you think, Clark?"

"I think it sounds like a plan." Clark agreed. "I have a small bit left to finish an article and we can go." _I'll move quickly. _I turned the TV on for Jason to a channel he would like to keep him entertained for a few minutes.

After five minutes of waiting, we headed down to the lobby and went outside to the park that was a few blocks away. We made an attempt to start a conversation with Jason which was successful. When we reached the park, Jason pulled me in the direction of the swings.

"So where do you think you'll go today?" I asked Clark below normal human hearing because the park was filled with hundreds of people today.

"Dunno," Clark admitted. "Chicago, Manhattan, and Los Angeles have had recent crime spikes besides here in Metropolis. I might end up there for a little bit."

"Well, I wish you good luck wherever you're going today."

"Thanks." He chuckled. After ten minutes of more talking to Clark, he suddenly stiffened.

"What is it?" And then I focused my hearing.

"I hate leaving you alone." He sighed. "I gotta go."

"Go kick some bad-guy-booty." I grinned. He gave me a small smile in return.

"Jason?" Clark got his attention.

"Yeah?"

"I realized I have to go run some errands. Would you be alright if I leave you with Sarah?"

"I'll be okay with Sarah."

"Make sure you stay with her and do everything she tells you." He said quickly. "Right, good luck with him, Sarah." He gave me a gentle hug. "Stay out of trouble and behave."

"I will." I promised. Clark then took off towards the alley that was across the streets and it would easily cover him. Several seconds passed and suddenly he flew past the buildings in his iconic blue suit and red cape. People noticed and immediately stopped what they were doing. Jason had a giant grin of excitement as he flew over us heading west. _Good luck, Clark._

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><p>After being in the park for an hour, Jason and I headed back to the apartment for lunch. He watched a little bit of SpongeBob while I made hot dogs and Easy Mac. I made sure he got a fruit in his lunch which was apple slices.<p>

"When's Clark going to be back?"

"I'm not sure." I replied. "He said he was going to be out for awhile." I pulled my phone out checking the time. "Your dad's going to be here shortly."

"Can't I stay with you?" He pleaded with his unearthly blue eyes.

"I would love having you stay, but I'm doing something this afternoon. I'm sorry, bud." I kissed him on the forehead and ruffled his hair a little.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to hang out with a friend of mine." I answered. "You've seen him when we were at the Banquet a few weeks ago."

"Is he the one with the brown hair and blue eyes and the funny accent?"

"Yes, that's him. That's Luke. And his accent's not funny. It's cute. His parents are from England and they have an english accent. Like the people in Doctor Who."

"Oh," He realized. "Can I meet him?"

"The next time I see you, I'll try to bring him over. I pinkie promise," I held up my pinkie finger. Jason hooked his pinkie around mine and smiled. Our happy moment was cut short by a knock at the door. I jumped over the couch and checked in the peephole for who it was. I unlocked the door and opened it. "Hey, Richard,"

"Hey, Sarah," Richard greeted with a smile. "How did everything go?"

"They went pretty good. He behaved like always." I let him in. "We went to the park for awhile and came back here to have lunch."

"That's good to hear." He replied. "Where's your brother at?"

"He had some errands to run, but he'll be back later."

"Well, tell him I said 'Hi'. And here's twenty bucks plus a ten dollar tip from both Lois and me." He handed me my payment.

"Thank you very much."

"Thank _you _for being a big help."

"It's no biggie."

"Daddy!" Jason ran to his 'dad'. Richard let out a grunt as he lifted Jason up into his arms.

"Hey, Kiddo," He said. "You're getting so big!" Jason giggled. "Did you have a good time with Sarah?"

"Yep, she's the best babysitter ever!"

"So what are you up to today?" Richard asked.

"I'm going to meet a friend at one."

"His name is Luke!" Jason piped in.

"Ooh and does this Luke happen to be your boyfriend? You just _have _to tell me all about him because girls are supposed to gossip about boys." He imitated a sixteen-year-old girl. I burst out laughing.

"Luke's just a really good friend of mine. He's Tyler Knight's son."

"Well, we won't keep you busy." Richard replied. "Good luck with Luke, Sarah. And thanks again for watching Jason."

"Bye, Sarah," Jason waved.

"Bye, Sweet Pea." I kissed my nephew on the head. My nephew; those words were still very unfamiliar to me. "Bye, Richard,"

"See you later, Sarah." He turned and headed out of the apartment. I closed the door and headed to the computer. I clicked on the internet icon and typed in . As the page loaded, I pondered what I wanted to buy off of it. I decided to buy something from the Tron movies. There was a black zip up hoodie that had 'Encon' printed on the left corner of the hoodie that was an interest to me. I also found a shirt that had the design of the armor on the front and the memory disc on the back. I placed my order which informed that my stuff would come in a week.

I scribbled a note for Clark in case if he got home before I did explaining where I'm at. I grabbed a jacket, my phone, my iPod, and my earbuds before heading out of the apartment. I locked the door behind me and set for the elevator.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellooooooooooo fellow readers!**

**Thanks for taking the time to stay with the story and keeping up with it. Even if you don't leave a review, it means a lot to me that you took the time to read it. So, this chapter begins the romance between Sarah and Luke. Just to give a warning, if it doesn't romantic enough, I apologize. I did the best I could, but I've never been in a relationship before. Leave me a review and let me know what you think. What do you think the future holds for Sarah and Luke?**

**Peace!**

**SHF95**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

It was unusually cloudy today which was weird for the summer. Normally, there would be lots of sun and blazing heat. I made my way down the sidewalk listening to music as I strolled along. The wind was blowing through the trees a little stronger than usual but it was nice cool air for once. There were a few people from school I recognized from a few classes I had with them. They waved hello and I smiled in return. Unexpectedly, I crashed into a nervous-looking figure.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I apologized. "I should have paid better attention to where I'm going." I pulled the fallen figure up. I let out a small gasp of surprise. "Connor Wilson?" The ginger with glasses that kept getting picked on in school stared up at me. He had a terrorized expression on his face.

"Sarah Kent?" He was shocked._ Oh no, I touched her_, Connor panicked.

"Yeah," I tried to lighten the conversation. "I haven't seen you all year."

"We had World History, Honors Chemistry, and Honors Geometry together this past year." He pushed up the glasses on his nose.

"That's right, we did. I remember working on a small in-class presentation for history and yours was about King Arthur. Yours was really good. I didn't know he had a battle against Mordred at the Battle of Camlann."

"Umm…thanks….yours about Bach was really cool. That's interesting how in Germany instead of B Natural, they have H and how Bach basically put his name in music." He went red.

"How are you? I don't see you much in the halls."

"I-I'm fine." He replied nervously. "How's your summer going?"

"It's great. I moved back in with Clark in an apartment just a few blocks away from here."

"That's not far from where I live." His confidence boosted up a little. "I also read that you played at the Pulitzer Banquet. That's…that's incredible. I watched a recording of you that someone taped from the Banquet on the Internet. You played beautifully. And you looked beautiful in the dress you wore."

"Thank you." I replied. "I'd hate to leave you, but I have to go."

"Where to," Connor straightened up with interest. "I could walk you there."

"Leaves & Beans," I answered. "I'm meeting Luke Knight there." Connor's face slightly fell at the mention of Luke.

"Oh, I just remembered I have to go pick something up from the market." He changed the subject. _Why does she have to meet Luke?_

"I'll see you when school starts if I don't see you sooner." I gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, see you whenever." Connor replied. I turned and headed towards Leaves & Beans. The café was a two-story coffee shop that teens could hang out after school was out for the day. Now that the school year's over, they're in here a lot more often. Occasionally they have live music which turns out really good. I've thought about playing, but never had the guts to.

_Well that was weird. Poor guy, he got so nervous around me. Does he like me? He sure acted all edgy when I mentioned meeting Luke._ My thoughts were broken when I reached the door to the café. I spotted Luke sitting near one of the windows. He was absent mindedly looking out the window until he spotted me. He flashed a smile and got out of his seat. As soon as I opened the door, immediately there was an aroma of coffee beans, and I found Luke waiting for me underneath one of the glossy wooden arches. "Hey," I greeted him with a smile.

"Hi," Luke smiled back. We exchanged hugs and he led me to a table. "So how was your morning?"

"It went well." I replied. "I ended up taking Jason to the park and made him some lunch when we got back. And, he wants to actually meet you." Luke chuckled.

"I feel honored." He smiled. "I bet there will be a time when I can finally meet this famous Jason."

"So what about you,"

"Oh, same old things," Luke replied. "Working on marching band music, mess around with the guitar, and helping Mum and Dad with things around the house." He pulled a chair out for me and pushed in when I sat down. I felt my cheeks heat up a little. Luke pulled his chair out and sat across from me.

"I completely forgot to tell you that I ordered some stuff from Cafepress today."

"What you'd get?"

"An Encom hoodie and a shirt that has the light armor design from Tron Legacy." I replied. "They should be here in a week."

"I just may have to borrow your hoodie sometime in the future if it's in my size." Luke commented.

"Peppermint mocha and a caramel frappuccino," A waitress approached our table.

"Yes, that would be us." Luke replied. She sat the drinks down and Luke pushed the frappuccino towards me.

"Enjoy your beverages." She smiled at Luke. _Oh, my God he's cute! And he has an accent!_ I mentally made a noise of disgust.

"How…" I was abashed.

"I've always known." He shrugged sheepishly.

"You didn't have to do that." I blushed.

"I know, but I wanted to."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." He replied. We sat there for a few minutes of silence.

"I ran into Connor Wilson on the way over here." I randomly fired off.

"I haven't seen him all year."

"Same here," I agreed. "He looked like something bad was going to happen when he ran into me, though."

"Well, he does get picked on by a lot of other students during school. Which in my opinion is very wrong," Luke pointed out. "I have noticed in a couple of classes we have together he kept staring at you when you weren't looking. He probably has a crush on you."

"Oh, that just makes my day better." I said with sarcasm.

"Well, you're a great girl to be around." Luke complimented. "You're smart, musically talented, gifted in the arts, funny, you care about people, and you have a way to light up the room." I felt butterflies in my stomach and I felt my cheeks redden. We sat there talking for a few more minutes while sipping away at our drinks. Suddenly there was a commotion of teenagers gathering around the front of the coffee shop where the stage was located at and began to cheer and clap wildly.

"Live performance," I guessed.

"I think so." Luke nodded in reply. "Maybe there might be someone worth listening to."

"They do have the house band and they play great music." I put in.

"Yeah, they do." Luke agreed with a sigh while he stretched in his seat. He stood up and offered an arm. "Shall we?" I stood up and looped my arm around his with a smile.

"We shall." I replied. We walked up to the stage where everyone gathered. The coffee shop owner, Andrew Davis, was on stage with a band behind him.

"Alright," He greeted everyone. "How's everyone doing?" The audience replied with cheers, whistles, and clapping, "We have a special treat for you this afternoon. We have the house band here today to play and we'll have Open Mic." He waited for the cheering to die down a little. "So without further ado, please welcome Knights of Irony." Luke and I both cheered with the rest of the audience as the band began to play. They played some songs they wrote themselves that were really good and they played songs that other bands wrote, obviously giving them credit for the songs. One song I immediately recognized was 'A Message' by Coldplay.

"Oh, I love this song." I exclaimed with a smile. Luke smiled back.

"Me, too," Everyone clapped and sang along with the band as the tune played. Shortly after that, they played Relient K's "Be My Escape". "Ooh, this is another good one." I chuckled at his reaction. "What?"

"Nothing," I shook my head. I had a feeling he wouldn't put it to rest.

"You're hiding something," He flashed a smile and stared at me with a look that would dig into me. "What is it?"

"Your enthusiasm for music amuses me." I complimented as I watched Knights of Irony.

"You have a greater enthusiasm, which fascinates me." I noticed him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. I felt my stomach squirm a little in excitement. The time came for Open Mic to start. Everyone was excited hoping they would be picked. Luke and I decided to take a seat near the stage and watch. Most of the people were actually pretty good. "You want to go up there?" I inhaled through my teeth as a reply to his question.

"Not exactly good when it comes to singing." I admitted. "I'm alright with playing, but with singing that's just another story."

"You absolutely sure," Luke was hesitant. But before I could respond, the leader of Knights of Irony, Travis Love, who has earned the title of Doctor Love, caught us talking to each other.

"Hey, how about that lovely couple over there," He pointed in our direction. Everyone turned and faced us. "What do you say, guys?" Everyone chanted us to go on. "How about a slow song,"

"Crap." I muttered with a sigh. "Do you know any good ones?"

"Do you know 'Down' by Jason Walker? The one with both him and a girl singing it,"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." We climbed up the stairs where everyone cheered.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Sarah Kent up here. Everyone give her a warm welcome." The band leader immediately recognized me. "I just wanted to say that you did amazing at the Pulitzer Banquet. I watched the video on YouTube. That's honestly, truly amazing." I felt my cheeks flame at the compliment.

"Thank you," I squeaked. I felt Luke slip his hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze of comfort.

"So what's your boyfriend's name?"

"I'm Luke Knight," Luke replied. "And we're not dating. We're just really good friends."

"It always starts out like that in the beginning, but you two make an adorable couple." Both Luke and I blushed. "So what will you two be singing?"

"Can you guys play 'Down' by Jason Walker?" I asked. The band members nodded in agreement. "Then that's what we'll sing."

"Give it up for Sarah and Luke!" He stepped to the piano that was onstage. One of the guitar players grabbed an acoustic guitar from behind and nodded that he was ready. "Ready?"

Luke and I stood in front of the microphones and nodded. They counted off and began to play the intro. I listened to Luke as he sang the first part. His voice was amazing. No, better than amazing. His voice was too beautiful to describe, but it surprised me so much I nearly forgot when to come in. I felt like everything in the world had melted around us and the only thing that really mattered was just the two of us. And with both of our voices making perfect harmony, it made the feeling even better. I saw from above on the second floor that people leaned against the railings to watch and listen to us with a great deal of interest. People from around us clapped and cheered as we continued singing. And we even got more approval once we finished. I felt numb in my legs and felt like I was going to fall.

I looked over at Luke and he smiled a big smile at me. I gave him a giant smile in return.

"Well how about that?" He complimented on our performance. "That was purely amazing from the both of you. I've never heard a couple sing so beautiful. And Luke-y boy, you got yourself a good girl. Let's hear it for them!" The audience cheered as we walked off the stage. Luke and I walked back to our table with our arms wrapped around each other.

"You were amazing." I complimented looking up at him. "I didn't know you could sing like that."

"You were truly fantastic up there. And you're full of surprises." From the background, there was another slow song playing. Everyone on the floor moved to the center and began to slow dance. "May I have this dance?" Coldplay's 'Gravity' was playing from upstage.

I nodded; a little too stunned to speak. He led me to the center where we faced each other. I locked my hands behind his neck and he gently placed his hands on my waist. I moved up closely to him and leaned against his chest while he rested his chin on top of my head. Together, we swayed in time with the beat of the music. I felt very relaxed as we slowly moved on the floor. I didn't want this to end, but every song has its end. So we made this dance last for as long as we could and made it worth to remember. "Thank you,"

"For what,"

"For being there for me when my brother was gone for five years. I felt like a part of me died when Clark left. And I wasn't the same person I used to be. But then you came along and you helped me get back on my feet. You mended me even with the simplest things." I said softly. I felt my eyes well up at the painful memories when I was alone. A few tears fell down my face. Luke held my face in his hands brushing away the tears with his thumbs.

"You're welcome," He murmured.

For the rest of the hour we spent at the coffee shop we slow danced a little more and bought an order of Monkey Bread to go. We took a walk in the park where we goofed off a little. The cloudy sky grew darker with each passing minute threatening to rain on us at any moment. Right as we were in the middle of the park, a few raindrops began to fall from the sky.

_Hope Clark's able to get home without a problem_, I thought. I shivered a little against the wind and rain.

"You okay?" Luke asked with concern. I nodded. He pulled his top jacket off and put it around my shoulders. "Let's get you out of this rain." He led me all the way to his house which was only three blocks away. My hair was plastered to my face as we ran to Luke's house. There was a yellow and black Chevy Camaro in the driveway that was next to the elegant white Victorian house. "Looks like my mum is home, hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all," I replied. "Your house very lovely," I stared at the beautiful architect. I've never been to Luke's house before. There was a large garden of all sorts of flowers growing out in the front. Ivy was growing along the sides that framed the railings of a wraparound porch. There was a swing that was sheltered from the rain so people could sit outside on the porch and still swing. There were a few mini towers that served a place for attics in the house that was on the fourth floor, while bedroom, bathrooms, and studies were on the third and second floor.

"Wait until you see the inside." He held the door open for me. I felt my jaw drop as I stepped inside and looked in awe. There was a grand staircase that curved with the smooth white walls that were full of paintings. At the top in the center of the ceiling was a large chandelier that was very beautiful. On my right there was an archway that led to a dining room with a long mahogany dining table that gleamed in the light of the ceiling lamps. A fireplace was behind one side of the table with a warm fire crackling in the hearth.

"Luke?" A woman's voice called from somewhere in the house. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Mum, it's me." Luke replied. "I brought a friend over." A tall woman with the same shade of brown wavy hair as Luke that reached mid-back walked out from an unknown room that I couldn't see from where I was standing. She was wearing a business suit that only God knows how much it costs.

"Ah, Sarah," Mrs. Knight greeted me with a hug. "It's so good to see you."

"Hi, Mrs. Knight," I greeted back.

"Let's get you out of those wet clothes. You can borrow some of Luke's older sister's clothes while those are in the dryer." Luke pulled off my jacket and I pulled my Chucks off. "Luke, be a chav and bring some comfortable clothes from Gwen's room." Luke nodded once and sprinted up the stairs to the bedroom of his older sister who was currently at Yale for college, but will be home for the summer with her boyfriend. "So how are you? I heard you moved back in with your brother."

"Yes, I did." I replied. "Everything's going great. It's taking some time to get used to have everything back together again."

"That's good to hear." Mrs. Knight smiled. "And you don't have to call me Mrs. Knight. Eve will do just fine." Luke came back downstairs carrying a black t-shirt and baggy jeans. He, himself, was wearing a different change of clothes.

"I couldn't find a shirt in Gwen's room that would suit Sarah so I pulled a shirt from my closet." Luke handed me his shirt and the pair of jeans. "There's a bathroom over there." He pointed in the direction. I headed to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I peeled my shirt and jeans off to replace them with Luke's shirt and Gwen's jeans. I inhaled the aroma of Luke's shirt that was his favorite Axe deodorant. I came out and Eve took my wet clothes and placed them in the dryer.

"What sort of job does your mom have?" I asked noticing the beautiful décor of the house.

"She's an interior designer. And you already know that my dad works at the Daily Planet with your brother, Lois, and Richard." Luke explained.

"Did she do all of this?"

"Yeah, she did. It took a little while, though."

"I think it looks amazing."

"Let me take you on a tour of the place. This is your first time here." Luke held my hand and led me through his house. "This is the living room." He led me across the hall where we came in. The living room was average size. It had a fireplace with a flat screen T.V above the mantle. They had a gaming system on the floor next to the mantle with several games on a rack. DVDs were on the other end of the fireplace where they had hundreds of movies to choose from.

They had plush leather couches and chairs surround a coffee table with a nice rug underneath. The floors were hardwood that gleamed no matter what. They had a few windows where you could sit on the sill and soak up the sunlight while reading a book. We walked across the hall again to the dining room where we passed through it to the kitchen. The kitchen was decorated to almost look like a bistro. They had black granite countertops and islands and there were also small red hanging lights from the ceiling. The floor was complete black tile that went perfect with the entire kitchen. And their fridge was pretty cool, too.

Luke took me upstairs where he showed me a study that had many books, comfortable chairs, a few desks, and two computers. Next, he showed me Gwen's room, his parents' room, his older brother Gareth's room, and finally his room. On one wall, he had a vast variety of CD albums all organized by artist and the year they came out. He had a stereo on another side of his room along with a very comfy looking queen-size bed. There were several floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a glass door that led a way out to a balcony. He had an acoustic guitar sitting in a corner along with his Bari Sax he used for marching band. And on his bed, there was a tabby cat sitting there curled up and watching us with lamp-like eyes.

"You're not allergic to cats, are you?" He asked. I shook my head. "This is Tonks. She's five years old, a doofus, finky, and playful. She's declawed in the front so no worries there." He sat on his bed and pulled the cat into his lap. I sat next to him and scratched Tonks affectionately behind the ears. She closed her eyes and began to purr.

"She's adorable." I smiled at the cat. "You name her after the character in Harry Potter?"

"Yeah, she was one of my favorites in the series. It sucked what happened to her in the book."

"I bawled when I read the last book." I chuckled. I clasped my hands together and Tonks padded over to sit in my lap. I began to pet her with long strokes. "I think I made a new friend."

"I think she likes you." Luke put an arm around me. "You traitor of a cat," He scowled at Tonks. She didn't care. Instead, she rubbed her head against my hands and licked me.

"Once I leave she'll sit on you again." I chuckled. Tonks stood up and gracefully jumped off the bed waddling out of the bedroom. Luke rolled onto his back.

"Tell me something about yourself that I don't know."

What could I tell him? That I have superpowers? That I'm a lab experiment? That my brother is actually an alien from another planet and is Superman? That my nephew is the son of Superman?

"I've never dated anyone before."

"Interesting," Luke moved a strand of my hair out of my eyes. "I've always thought you would have at least dated someone because you're very pretty." I let out a laugh of amusement. "What?"

"Never in my entire life has someone out of my family told me that I'm very pretty." I gazed into his sparkling blue eyes. "Tell me something about you that I don't know." Luke let out a sigh while thinking.

"I've liked you since the fifth grade."

"That's when we started Band." And the year Clark left for five years.

"You sat there in the corner by the percussion when we didn't do anything for the first few days. You were pretty quiet and it was intriguing to me. And I know Kristen's your best friend in whom I see you a lot whenever we're both over, but that made me even more curious about you."

"I find that very interesting." I gave him a small smile. Luke let out a comfortable sigh.

"What time is it?"

"4:30," I pulled my phone out to check the time. I didn't receive any calls or text messages from anyone.

"Tea time," Luke sat up. "Come on," I followed him downstairs to the living room where Eve was sitting on the couch watching a show on the TV while sipping some tea from a cup. "Afternoon tea is a British tradition. It's served with Black Tea with milk and biscuits." We joined Eve in the living room where she greeted us with a warm smile.

"So what have the two of you been up to?"

"Nothing much," Luke replied. "Just took Sarah on a tour of the house."

"There's tea sitting on the stove in the kitchen, Luke." Eve informed. I sat down on the couch while Luke went to the kitchen. "He talks about you a lot."

"He does?"

"Yes and I can see why, too. You're gifted at the piano and he says you're great at the marimba in marching band. It's been awhile since Luke's been happy. He and Gwen are really close to each other and when she moved to go to Yale, he was devastated. But ever since the two of you started hanging out with each other, he's been in a better mood. In a way, I guess you could say that you became his Guardian Angel."

"Your son's quite the surprise himself." I replied. Eve chuckled in response. "I never knew he could sing. We met at Leaves & Beans today. They had their house band play and they also had Open Mic. The band leader pulled us up and we reluctantly agreed to sing."

"Luke gets the charms and music from his father. I met him while I was in college. He was sitting underneath a tree playing the guitar while I was sitting nearby on a fountain ledge reading a book." Eve explained how she and Tyler met. "I think though instead of me being the curious one in my story, Luke's the curious one in yours." Luke walked in carrying two mugs of tea. He sat down next to me and passed me a mug.

"Thanks," I gave him a tiny grin. He slipped his hand in mine as we sat there on the couch drinking tea.

_He's dating Sarah. Oh, that's wonderful! She really is good for him, _Eve put the pieces together. She suddenly got an idea in her head. _Maybe she should stay for dinner._

"I think Sarah should stay for dinner." Eve spoke after a moment of silence.

"I think she should." Luke agreed. Both of them waited for my response.

"I…I dunno." I was hesitant. "I really like the offer but my brother…"

"Please? Mum's making Parmesan Chicken and it's the best you've ever tasted." Luke begged with his eyes.

"Alright," I reluctantly agreed.

"Great!" Eve exclaimed. "I'd better go ahead and get start cooking before your father and Gareth gets home." She hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner. I drank all of my tea and set my mug aside. I leaned myself against him closing my eyes for a minute and sighed.

"You okay?" Luke asked.

"Just tired," I replied nodding my head. Luke shifted on the couch so that I was wrapped in his warm embrace. He gently rubbed my arms in comfort and I felt myself drifting off a little.

"You look adorable when you're asleep." Luke said. I gave him a sleepy chuckle in response.

"No, I don't. My hair's a freaking mess when I get up." I felt him nuzzle into my hair taking in the scent of Japanese cherry blossoms.

_God, she smells amazing_, Luke sighed. I felt myself giving away to sleep for a few minutes before I was gently woken up by Luke. "Hello, my Sleeping Beauty." I sat up in the couch.

I blushed. "How long was I out for?"

"About forty-five minutes."

"I'm sorry I'm being such a bore."

"Actually, not really," He disagreed. "I fell asleep for a little while, too." I heard the front door open.

"My God, it's raining cats and dogs out there." The voice of Tyler Knight exclaimed. Luke sat up on the couch.

"Hi, Dad,"

"Lukey-boy, did you have fun today?"

"Yes, I did." Luke replied. I peeked out from behind Luke.

"Sarah, it's so good to see you!" Tyler exclaimed.

"It's good to see you, too, Mr. Knight." I chuckled.

"Please, call me Tyler. You've known me for years." Tyler protested. "Where's your mum, Luke?"

"She's in the kitchen." Luke answered. Tyler took his jacket off and headed to the kitchen. Luke turned on the TV to find the news channel on. Today's top story was obviously about Superman. Clark managed to save a city from being wiped out by a bursting dam, saved a derailed train in San Francisco, put out a few fires and stopped several robberies here in Metropolis. "I'm glad he's back and he's safe."

"Me, too," I agreed.

"You've met him in person," Luke suddenly said. "What's he like?" I was caught off guard by the question. "I mean, I know you were rescued by him when you, Lois, Jason, and Richard were in that ocean liner that was sinking into the sea, but I'm curious to know what he's like in person." I sat there thinking for a moment. What's the best way to describe him without revealing his identity?

"Well," I began. "He has this way of taking away any fear just by standing there in your presence. Even when he was pulling the ocean liner out of the water where only glass and metal separated us, I felt all of my fears disappear. He has this kind and gentle personality and you know just by standing there, he'd do anything to keep you safe. And when he talks, you know everything is going to be okay." I found myself reflecting how both Clark and Luke are similar in their own ways. "In your own way, the two of you are alike. Except you're not from another planet and have abilities." Luke let out an amused chuckle.

"I think I should take that as a compliment."

"You should," I leaned towards him inches away from his face. Luke gave me his heart melting crooked smile.

"Eugh, get a room, you two!" A voice broke our moment. Luke's twenty-two year old brother, Gareth, was at the front door. Both of us jumped in surprise.

"And you're telling me this even though you kissed how many girls in front of me?" Luke shot back. Gareth chuckled.

"Hey, little brother," He gave Luke a noogie. "Who's your girlie friend?"

"Gareth, this is Sarah Kent. Sarah, this is my older brother Gareth." Luke introduced the two of us to each other. Gareth held out a hand and I shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Sarah," He smiled. _Little Luke scored a pretty one_. "Hope my little twit of a brother is staying in line."

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied. "And you have nothing to worry about. He's quite the gentleman."

"Mum says dinner's ready." He clasped a hand on his younger brother on the shoulder. The three of us got up and headed to the table. I sat next to Luke while Gareth sat on my other side. I focused my hearing in the kitchen to see if any help was needed.

_"Luke and Sarah are an item now."_ Eve informed Tyler.

_"I always had a feeling they would end up together. She's good for him, Evie."_ There was a smile dancing on Tyler's words.

_"I'm happy for Luke. She's what he needed ever since Gwen left for Yale."_I mentally smiled at their comments and pulled out of their conversation. They brought out the plates, silverware, cups, food, drinks, and set the table. Luke was right about his mom's cooking. The cheese on the chicken melted in my mouth and it was delicious. We sat there chatting with each other. For once, I didn't feel very shy at all. They made me feel as I was part of the family.

After dinner, Eve served some German Chocolate Cake, which was ironic because the Knights are British, minus Luke.

It was almost seven by the time I checked my phone. Still nothing from Clark yet,

"I should get home." I stared at the time. "Thank you so much for having me over. Dinner was delicious."

"It was our pleasure." Tyler nodded. Eve gave me a smile.

"Feel free to come over any time you want." Eve invited.

"I'll take you home." Luke offered. He grabbed a pair of keys and led me to the garage. We walked through the doors and we were outside. It stopped raining, but there was the scent of fresh rain in the air and puddles on the grounds. I saw Eve's car, right behind was a black Ford truck that must've belonged to Tyler, a Freestyle that probably was Gareth's, and a black Ford Edge. Luke unlocked the Edge and he held the passenger door open for me.

"Is this one yours?" I asked with astonishment.

"Yep," He grinned as he climbed in the car. "But I'd prefer to walk most of the time." He had quiet music playing as we drove to the apartment building. It was a nice ride with each other. Ten minutes later we pulled in the parking lot that was outside of the building. We held hands as we walked into the building and rode the elevator up to my floor. I wait for a few minutes outside my door taking the time to thank Luke.

"I had fun today." I gazed into his eyes.

"Me, too," He agreed with a twinkle in his eyes. "We should hang out again soon."

"I think 'going on a date' is a better term for 'hang out again'."

"I think that is a great word." Luke smiled. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I inhaled his scent one last time before we departed. It was a sweet scent that would forever be branded into my memories. "Goodnight, my darling."

"G'night," I hugged him. "I wish today didn't have to end."

"I know how you feel. I don't want it to end either, but with every sunset, there is a sunrise that brings a new day."

"See you tomorrow?"

"That's a definite yes." He nodded. "Don't change at all and sweet dreams." I watched him go down the hall to the elevator. He gave me a small wave as the doors closed in front of him. I unlocked the door and flopped on the couch. Clark still wasn't home yet.

"Crap I left my clothes at his house." I sighed into the couch. Way to go me. I felt this weird tingling feeling in me. At first I didn't notice it, but then I started to get warmer so I pulled my jacket off. That didn't help much as the feeling got sharper and hotter; almost like someone was repeatedly sticking hot needles in me.

"Sarah?" I heard Clark call my name. I turned around finding him on the fire escape. There he was in his iconic blue suit with the red cape.

"Clark!" I exclaimed with excitement. I couldn't wait to tell him about my day. All of a sudden, I felt very light-headed. He knew something immediately was wrong and rushed to my side.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" Clark asked. I stared up into his deep blue eyes.

"I don't know what's happening to me." I whispered with horror. The pain grew more intense and I felt my legs give away. I felt Clark catch me in his arms. My vision flickered and I was swept into darkness.

_"SARAH!"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all of you wonderful readers,**

**We've gotten to the part where the real story comes in! I'd appreciate if you read it and send a review! Lemme know what you think :J**

**Peace,**

**SHF95**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

_Metropolis October 1994, Nox Ultio Headquarters_

A computer technician sat a monitor scanning the screen for any unusual sweeps of energy. For the past few days, there has been a certain point in Metropolis where a mass of energy has been building up. No one knows what's causing it or when the vast amount of energy will rupture. There was a good possible chance of the unknown energy to destroy at least the slums of Metropolis. If it did, at least they wouldn't have to worry about homeless or being mugged and kidnapped in that area.

The technician sighed and rubbed his eyes. These past few days have been long nights staring at the screen. Nothing exciting happened lately. The only thing to report was just that growing mass of energy. The man almost fell asleep at the monitor out of boredom, but a sudden rapid beeping snapped him out of it. He clacked away on the keyboard making sure he wasn't imagining anything and set up to record everything in the area. There was a street camera nearby the location of the mass of energy that was rapidly building up so he had the camera record and copy the footage. He hacked into the camera and felt his jaw drop.

There was a bright light and as quick as it came, it vanished. Replacing the ball of light was a girl with brown hair lying on the ground. He almost forgot to send someone to grab Doctor Nox.

"Grab Doctor Nox." He ordered. "And _hurry_!" The assistant sprinted down the hall to Doctor Nox's office. No one saw much of the man, but he prayed to God that he was in there. The young assistant knocked rapidly on the door.

"Yes?" A voice from inside responded.

"Something's changed with that mass of energy we've been tracking. One of the technicians found something that you might want to take a look at." The assistant replied nervously.

"I'm on my way. Head back there and let him know I'm coming."

"Yes, Sir," He replied immediately. "Right away, Sir," He turned and ran back to the technician who sat there staring at the screen unable to believe what he was seeing even though he caught it on tape and was able to rewind it.

"Any word," The technician asked.

"He's coming."

"_He_ is coming? Right now,"

"Yes, at this exact moment. That's what 'right now' means."

"Oh, my God," The technician's eyes went wide. He never came down here. All he did was give out orders and explain what their job was over the intercom. _This must be really important if he's coming down here._

The doors opened and in walked a tall man wearing a white lab coat. He put on a pair of glasses and walked over to the technician's computer.

"What seems to be the problem, Mr. Jones?"

"I can't explain it, but I caught it on tape. You'll just have to see for yourself, Sir." Jones got up out of the seat and set the tape on replay. The man in the white coat sat down and watched the video footage. He sat there thinking in thought. This was something new for him to study. He _had _to capture this girl and bring her back here. What kind of abilities does she possess?

"Send a few men down there to bring her back." He informed.

_Sarah_

The smell of dirty city air reached my nose and a dull pain filled my head. Bitter cold wind nipped at my face uncomfortably. I woke up with a groan and surveyed my surroundings. Where the hell was I and how did I get here? Last thing I remembered was that I was in the apartment and Clark was there. Speaking of which, where was Clark? I found myself in an alley in a city of some sort. It wasn't any part I recognized. I got up slowly and brushed the dirt off of me. Several puddles of water were around me and the scent of rain was in the night air. Right, so it rained. At least if someone attacks me, I have a way of defending myself.

The sounds of police sirens from a far off distance reached my ears. A door from one of the buildings opened. Light spilled out onto the pavement and a large figure of a man shuffled out carrying what looked like a bag of trash. Now I know I've been told that I shouldn't talk to strangers, but if you were mysteriously transported from your house to some unknown alley and you saw a man passing by, would you ask them where you're at?

"Excuse me," I hurried over to the man. He looked up. I tried really hard not to stare at his appearance. His dark hair streaked with grey was a little stringy and looked like he could need a shower and also a shave to add to that. He had piercing cold grey eyes that made my skin crawl when he looked at me.

"What yeh want, kid?" He asked in a scruffy tone. "Yeh shuddn't be here. This ain't no place for someone like to ter be wanderin' around in. People end up missin'."

"I hit my head pretty hard on something and I don't remember what day it is and where I'm at." I tried to get some answers. The man looked at me like I was a complete idiot.

"Wednesday, October fifth, 1999. And we're in Metropolis. 'Cept it's the slums instead of that high 'n' fancy crap where all them reporters, police, lawyers are at. Even if this city is protected by the Blur, this place down here in the Slums is still dangerous to be around day or night. Yeh best get outta here, kid,"

"And the Blur is who?"

"Good lord, how hard yeh hit yer head? Everyone knows who the Blur is."

"I hit it pretty hard." I replied. The man sighed.

"The Blur is a super powered being that runs around Metropolis and saves the city from disaster. Is that comin' back now?"

"Yeah, it is. Thanks for your help."

"Now git outta here before I call the cops on yeh." He shook a fist at me. I turned and ran in the opposite direction of the man. How was this possible? I traveled back twelve years in the past. I don't have any time traveling ability. Do I? I felt my heart quicken in panic. I reached an empty parking lot.

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" I muttered to myself as I ran. "I don't know how I got here in the past and where I am exactly in Metropolis. I never got a lesson about the Slums." My rambling to myself was cut short when several large black vans suddenly came out of nowhere. Men jumped out and tried to cut me off. One man who looked around late twenties and early thirties stepped out between the men. I'll admit the guy was pretty good looking for his age. He was tall, dark hair, blue eyes, and pretty fit.

"Hello there." The man smiled while walking towards me with his hands in his long black trench coat pockets. "My name's Darius. Who are you?"

"Why should I tell you when you're with men that are holding guns at me?" I coldly replied.

"Lower your guns." Darius ordered. Then men surrounding us lowered their weapons. "You are a very interesting person." He began to pace around the inner circle. "For the past several days we've been monitoring this energy building up here in the Slums. And tonight, that energy mass unleashed a bright light and you appeared. I want to know how you got here."

"I don't know." I answered catching sight of a large puddle of water on the ground out of the corner of my eye. "One minute I was inside an apartment my brother and I both live at near the center of the city and then the next I find myself out here lying on the ground in the Slums." If I can just make a small distraction, I can use that puddle to create fog to cover me and get myself away from here.

"A teleporter," Darius guessed. _Interesting, we'll have to make a special room for her back at the facility._

"No, far from teleporting," I shook my head. Focusing my hearing, I tried to pick up nearby sounds of what was close way of transportation to get out of here. I heard a train, a bus, several cars, and a subway. But I heard something else; only it was a pair of voices. One sounded like it was talking through a phone and the other's was unnaturally deep.

_"Say it again, Chloe," _The deep voice of a male spoke.

_"There's this big mass of energy in the Slums near one of those apartment buildings in the alley by the warehouse on Fifth Avenue. Something's up because the cameras picked up footage of a white light suddenly appearing and then a girl is on the ground lying unconscious. The readings are all weird, too." _A female spoke through what seemed to be a communication system.

_ "I'll see what I can do. If there's trouble over here that I can't handle, send Clark."_

_ "And, Oliver,"_

_ "Yeah,"_

_ "Be careful."_

_ "I'm always careful."_ The man called Oliver chuckled with amusement.

_"I'm serious, Ollie, you've gotten hurt the past few nights. You know what? I'm sending Clark whether you want his help or not."_ The woman called Chloe argued with Oliver. I pulled out of their conversation.

"So what can you do?" Darius asked walking up to me and getting a little too close.

"I can do this." I firmly answered with a kick to Darius's groin. He doubled over in pain and fell to the ground. Then the men around me immediately held their guns up at me. "You know, there's one thing about me that you should know." I held my hands up. "And that thing is to never let me be around water." The large puddle formed in a weird shape that thinned and expanded turning into fog. It covered the entire area giving me the opportunity to run. I headed for an alley on the opposite side of the lot throwing a few punches at some of the men in my way.

"GET HER!" Darius bellowed behind me. I picked up the pace and sprinted for my life. I heard bullets fire from behind me and ricocheted off of dumpsters and metal structures. Instantly, my Runner's instinct kicked in. I saw obstacles that served as entrances to get me to safety. I leapt onto dumpsters and jumped over fences. I caught a glimpse of something green running along the side of me across the rooftops. To quickly avoid the men in black, I jumped onto a fire escape ladder and climbed up. When I reached the top, I pulled the ladder up. I ran across the rooftops jumping over pipes and air ducts.

Ahead I saw a large construction crane that was several hundred feet above the streets. It was also very close to the entrance of the better side of Metropolis. There was a load of steel that was hooked onto the crane at the end and it made a perfect bridge to the next rooftop. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure clad in green leather with a bow and quiver of arrows on his back running across the rooftops opposite of me. Not sure if he was good or bad, I fled for the crane. As soon as I took a step on the unoccupied crane, people below began to panic.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" The man in green yelled from across the roof. His voice; it was that unnaturally deep one talking to that one lady over the comms. I ignored him and ran across the arm sending the people below and the men in black in even more panic. I jumped from the arm onto the load and crossed over to the other building.

"Running to survive," I hollered at him to hear me over the rushing traffic. I ran across a few more rooftops and sped down another fire escape down to the ground where I collapsed against a wall. I took in several deep breathes trying to catch my breath. I struggled very hard not to vomit all over the place from running so much. My head felt dizzy and was hurting a little. I stuck my head between my knees to keep myself from blacking out. If I survive this, I'm going to get back into training.

"You know you got some guts. And you're hard to catch." Darius's voice shot out from the darkness. I stood up quickly getting ready to run again, but I couldn't find him. "But maybe once we put a bullet in you, you won't be so difficult to get." I felt my heart rate increase in fear of what was to come next. I closed my eyes taking a deep breath. A loud gunshot filled my ears and I felt pain pierce my upper left shoulder. The force of the shot shoved me to the ground. My shoulder began to feel wet very quickly and soon was drenched in blood.

_So this is how I go; I time travel twelve years into the past from 2011 to 1999 where I get shot and will probably die in an alley,_ I thought with misery. I felt myself grow weaker by the minute from blood loss. My vision also began to flicker.

"Tie her up and haul her to the vans." Darius ordered. There was a loud rush of wind that suddenly blew around us.

"I don't think you'll be taking her anywhere." The man in the green leather spoke. I looked up and saw him standing next to a figure dressed completely in black except for a white S emblem on his chest. He half stood in the shadows and I wasn't able to see his face, but I instantly knew who it was. "Get her to the hospital. I handle these bastards." I felt myself slip away as a pair of strong arms lifted me up with ease. I was only able to hear one last thing before I fell unconscious.

_Oh, my God, she looks just like Sarah._

_ "Come on, Sarah," I heard Clark plead. There was a great amount of worry and sadness in his voice. "Wake up. Please wake up, Sarah. I can't lose you, too." I was standing in a white room next to Clark who was sitting in a chair resting his chin upon his folded hands. Something wasn't right. He was sitting next to a hospital bed. And in that hospital bed was me._

_ I froze in place. The dream-me was lying in a bed, but in a death-like state, paler than normal and hooked up to some monitors. What's happening?_

_ "How is she?" I heard the voice of Lois speak from behind. I turned around. This was the Lois I saw earlier today. And that Clark is my Clark; still in disguise when out in public. This is the present!_

_ "Her coma state hasn't changed at all." Clark replied with a few tears brimming up in his eyes. Lois went up to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder._

_ "She'll come back to us." Lois tried to comfort him. I placed my hand on his other shoulder._

_ "I'm right here, Clark." I softly spoke. He didn't seem to hear me. Realizing that I couldn't be heard, tears began to fall down my cheeks._

I was dead. I was one hundred percent sure I was dead. All I could see was darkness and I felt the cold. But I was proven wrong when I heard a pair of voices and felt something stiff and heavy on my shoulder. I also felt something in one of my arms. I moved a little and felt the tug of a small tube. It was an IV. Great I have needles sticking in my arms. One of the voices sounded very familiar to me like I knew that person so well and could pick him or her out in a large crowd.

"How is she?" A man's voice that was filled with concern asked. This man that was talking, _he _was the one who I recognized. At least I think I do. Everything that's happened in the past few hours has been very weird.

"We're lucky that she got in here quickly." Another man spoke, but he sounded professional. As if he was a doctor of some sort. "If you waited, an infection would have set in and it would have been difficult for her to recover. The gunshot wound was a clean entry and we were able to stitch the wound. Once it heals, there will be a scar, unfortunately. It's going to take some time. She'll need to take some antibiotics to prevent possible infection and painkillers if needed. Otherwise, her vital signs are fine, but we should keep her here for a few more days just to be sure."

"Thank you, Doctor Hamilton." A woman spoke.

"It's my pleasure, Chloe." Doctor Hamilton spoke. "But there is no need for formal titles since you both know me so well."

"Thanks again, Emil." The first man spoke. There was the sound of a pair of footsteps leaving the room and a door quickly opened and was shut as someone exited.

"You okay, Clark?" The one called Chloe asked.

"Not really, Chloe." The one called Clark replied. Bitterness filled his voice as if he were upset about something like he failed something very important.

"What is it, then?" Chloe asked with concern for her friend.

"This girl," Clark began to explain, "I feel like I know her. I've never seen her in my life before, but I feel like I know who she is. And she reminds me so much of my sister. Seeing her wounded is like I failed to protect my sister."

"But you've never failed to protect Sarah." Chloe replied.

"I know, but the thought of that is having me on edge."

"Right now, the only thing that matters is that this girl is alive, so quit beating yourself up just because she's in the hospital." I stirred in my sleep and my eyes fluttered open. I winced as bright light flooded in. When my eyes grew adjusted to the light I slowly sat up. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder helping me sit up.

"Take it easy. You were in an accident." I looked up into a pair of unearthly blue eyes that almost matched mine.

"What? Where am I?" I was confused.

"You're in the hospital in Metropolis. I'm Clark Kent and I'm a reporter at the Daily Planet. This is Chloe Sullivan; she's a good friend of mine." Clark explained.

"You were shot in the left shoulder." Chloe explained.

"I was _what_?" I yelped feeling my heart rate increase. Clark shot Chloe a look.

"Chloe, this isn't what 'take it easy' means. I'm sorry about startling you." Clark apologized. "What I was trying to calmly explain is that you were in an accident that resulted in you getting shot in the left shoulder. You were found in an alley by the Blur and were taken here by us. Doctors had to perform a small surgery on you to get the bullet in your shoulder out and they stitched you up. You'll have to take antibiotics to prevent an infection from setting in and once you've healed, you'll have a scar on your shoulder."

"Hmm that will be quite the story to tell the kids and my husband in the future." I mused.

"We never caught your name." Chloe suddenly said.

"Sarah," I replied quickly using the first last name that popped in my head. "Sarah Knight." I hated lying to Clark. It was the worst feeling in the world when it comes to my brother.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah Knight." Clark gave me a small smile.

"Do you have any parents or relatives here in Metropolis?" Chloe asked.

"Only an older brother," I half admitted. "But he's out of town for a business trip. Good luck with trying to reach him on his phone, though. My parents died in a car accident when I was nine and my grandparents on both sides of the family died when I was three and six years old."

"How old is your brother?"

"He's twenty-six and his name is Charlie." I calmly lied keeping everything steady. When someone lies, a chemical reaction takes place inside the body. Your mouth dries up, you forget things, you avoid eye contact, your heart rate increases, your palms sweat, you yawn multiple times, etc.

_She doesn't seem to be lying_, Clark thought. He absent mindedly rubbed the back of his head; which is a sign that I was reading his mind. Because Clark is from a different planet, his mind is a little different from a human mind. So whenever I read his mind, he gets this itchy feeling in his head that's impossible to resist. _What are we going to do with her? Should we keep her with Chloe? Wait, Chloe doesn't have enough room at her place. Definitely don't want to bring Lois into this. Oliver's busy, so I guess the only place left for her to stay at is at the farm._

"Clark, what are we going to do for her to stay until her brother gets back?" Chloe asked.

"I was just thinking about that." Clark answered. "The only place that has enough room that I can think of is the farm."

"I think it seems like a reasonable place for her to stay at. It's big and wide open. She'd be safe there." Chloe slowly agreed. "What do you think, Sarah?"

"I agree with whatever works." I nodded my head.

"Well it's settled, then. When you're released from the hospital, we'll get you settled in at my place. And you'll only be staying there until your brother comes back."

"Which is any day," I lied.

"You'll have to stay home from school to get some rest before you can be up and moving again." Chloe informed.

"I realize that." I noted.

"The hospital's going to keep you here for a few more days until you're well enough to go home. Is there anything that you need?" Clark added. I thought for a moment.

"A sketch pad and some pencils," I requested. The two of them gave me a surprised look. "What?"

"Nothing," Clark assured with a smile. "It's just that we've never heard someone request for a sketch pad and pencils to keep themselves occupied."

"I draw a lot in my spare time." I explained.

"And what do you prefer in clothes? I'll be heading out to buy some for you later on today." Chloe wanted to know. I gave her a list of what I usually wear and in what size.

"We'll be back later today to visit." Clark said. "Right now, we adults have to go to work."

"And I'll be sitting here in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound in my shoulder making no attempt to escape." I replied with a grin. A door opened and a dark skinned nurse walked in.

"See you later, Sarah." Clark gave a wistful wave. Chloe also waved and the two of them left the room.

"How are you, Sweetie?" The nurse asked with a smile on her face. "You're finally awake."

"I'm really sore." I replied. The nurse checked through my vitals.

"You will be for awhile. You had quite the nasty accident there, Sugar." She replied. I noticed a bruise forming on my arm near the IV needle.

"First time nurse struck me," I wondered aloud. The nurse noticed my bruise.

"Nope, had a difficult time trying to find a vein," She assured. "We wouldn't put a first-time nurse on someone who had an accident. The bruise will go away in ten days and there will be some colors to your bruise."

"Great." I sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello!**

**So umm...I feel _really_ bad and _really _guilty for not being on here in ages. Blame school. I've had a busy time since I last updated. I participated in a huge event in Indianapolis in 2012 called the National Concert Band festival. We had to audition to get in that, so that was pretty cool. I took the dreaded ACTs, entered my final year of high school, became one of the two drum majors for marching band, got into the District 3 Jazz Band for IMEA, led the marching band in a parade at Magic Kingdom over Christmas break, got accepted to Illinois State University on the string bass to major in music education, got a few jazz band competition awards for my bass playing, and pretty close to graduating high school. Wow, so much has happened. Anyway, I'll make up my long absence by either writing long chapters or posting up a lot of little chapters. Just keep in mind that it's pretty hectic over here. I do appreciate that I'm still getting reviews and notifications on here even if I haven't updated. It means the world to me! Love you guys! **

**SHF95 :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

I managed to survive the next few dreadful days in the hospital. Little by little, I went in the bathroom in my room to heal up a little. There was already some scarring beginning to show. It annoyed the hell out of me because I know that I can heal myself, but I can't do it or Clark, Chloe, and this Dr. Hamilton would get suspicious. I became even more suspicious about the man named Darius who chased me in the allies. To keep my mind focused on things and to not suffer from boredom, Clark bought me a sketchpad that had anime flowers on the front and back covers. I started to draw what I was seeing in my dreams to try to put together what was going on, but so far the only thing I put together was that I was in some sort of coma state in the present.

Clark and Chloe would both come by everyday to visit for a few hours. I felt better being around him, but it made me miss _my _Clark and Luke even more.

Finally the day came for me to get out of the hospital. Chloe was the one to greet me in my room with a bag full of clothes.

"Hey, Sarah," Chloe greeted me with a grin on her face. "Ready to get out,"

"I've been ready for days." I replied. She handed me the bag.

"Clark's signing you out. Go ahead and get dressed so we can get you out of here."

I headed into the bathroom and pulled the clothes out of the bag. There was a pair of socks, high top black Converse in size eight, baggy jeans, a black t-shirt, undergarments, and a maroon jacket. I peeled my bandage off to check my wound and healed it up a little bit, replaced the bandage, and got dressed. Chloe and I both headed out to the lobby where I found Clark standing at the desk signing me out. The broad figure was hunched slightly over scribbling on some paper.

It felt so bizarre keeping my true identity from him, but there come a time where I won't have to hide the truth from him. I fought the urge to run up to him and hug him. Clark looked up from the desk as soon as he was finished.

"Sarah," He greeted me with a friendly smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"I feel a little better." I replied. "A bit exhausted and really sore, but better."

"At least that's better than when you came in."

"True to that," I gave a weak smile. I was exhausted and badly wanted to sleep, but yet I also wanted to stay awake to hang around with Clark and Chloe.

"Let's get her back to the house, Clark, before she keels over." Chloe suggested by heading out the doors. Clark and I followed suit; him taking long strides and me almost jogging to keep up. Chloe led us to a maroon Ford Taurus that was located in the parking deck.

Once we were all in the car, Chloe started the ignition and drove us to the farm where I once lived. I knew once I stepped foot on that land, old memories would be coming back. The barn, the loft, the piano, my old bedroom, something was bound to trigger in my head. But whatever happens, I hope I don't break down in front of them.

The drive to the house was quiet, but the tension lifted once we arrived. A bear-like golden retriever came bounding out barking happily as we climbed out of the car.

"Hey, Shelby," Clark scratched behind the dog's ears. Shelby let out a playful bark at his master's arrival. Shelby noticed my presence and came up to sniff me. He knocked me down as soon as he recognized my scent and began to lick my face. Pain shot through my injured shoulder as I landed on the ground.

"Ohhhh God," I inhaled sharply and groaned. The massive dog's paws were on my chest and felt like heavy steel weights crushing my lungs. Clark quickly grabbed Shelby by his collar and pulled him off of me. As soon as Shelby was off of me, I could breathe easily and started coughing.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry." Clark panicked. Chloe helped me stand up on my feet and I brushed the dirt off of me.

"Yeah," I gave a final hack. "I'll be fine." Shelby looked up and me and whined. I knelt down and scratched his head affectionately. "Hi, pretty boy," I said in a baby voice. "You're such a cutie." I kissed Shelby on his nose. He wagged his tail in happiness and yipped happily. He knows who I am.

_Sarah! I've missed you so much_, his eyes seemed to say.

"I think he likes you." Clark chuckled. I stood up and massaged my shoulder a little.

"I have a way with animals." I grinned.

"Well, I think I should be getting home, myself." Chloe sighed. "Hope you feel at home, Sarah." We watched as Chloe left the farmland and disappear behind a cloud of dirt. The two of us were silent for a few moments. Only the feeling of Shelby's wet nose nuzzling my hand made me jump a little and brought me back.

"So, um," Clark cleared his throat, "How about I show you around the place?"

"Sounds like a plan." I agreed. "Lead the way, Cap'n." Clark replied with a small chuckle. I mentally grinned. Clark led the way around the yellow farmhouse to a very large red barn that looked at least a decade old.

"Nearly most of the time when I'm home I'm out here in the barn my dad built years ago." Clark explained while pushing one of the large doors open.

"Manual labor helps clear your mind?" I presumed.

"Yes, it does." Clark replied. Back when I was little and Clark was in his early years of college, he'd go to the barn to work on things when he was troubled.

"I play the piano when something's bugging me." I responded. "The feeling of me playing the piano pulls out all of my problems and I can think clearly. I find it very soothing."

"Well, you're in luck because we have a piano. It's my little sister's, but she's in D.C with my mother. Feel free to use it any time you want." He offered. Clark led the way inside the barn up to the rafters. When we got to the top, it opened up to a large space with two couches, a coffee table, rug, desk off to one side, several boxes full of what looked like memories from Clark's years in high school, and a brass telescope propped up against the open barn window.

"Wow," I breathed. I forgot how this place looked. "It's so…cozy up here." I walked over to the telescope and examined it. "Stargazing?"

"An old hobby of mine," Clark replied. "My parents bought that for me when I was young."

"And it stayed with you."

"I can't get rid of it. I'm attached to things that have special meaning to me." He chuckled. I let out a chuckle as well. Out of the corner of my eye, a red and yellow jersey caught my attention. I walked over and looked at it.

"You played football?" For once, this was something I didn't know about my brother.

"Senior year of high school I did."

"I would have never guessed."

"What about you? Play any sports?"

"Um, not really," I shook my head. "My eighth grade year I tried cross country for the first time. I was a decent runner, but then in the middle of the season I had an accident during practice one day. I ended up pulling a tendon in my right ankle and I couldn't run for the rest of the season."

"That's awful. What do you do now?"

"I stick to music. I play in the pit in my school's marching band and percussion in Wind Ensemble during concert band season." I replied. "Hard-core band geek,"

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some people are good at certain things."

"Yeah, sports and I don't mix well unless it's marching band." I half chuckled. Clark chuckled with amusement.

"So do you guys compete?"

"Yes, we're pretty good. We roughly have over 120 people in marching band, but the best part is that it's strictly voluntary."

"Wow, that's impressive." Clark's eyes widened. "What's your show called?"

"_Paranormal_. It's pretty cool. We've got people doing all sorts of things and it's incredible. I get chills whenever we play because the music is so cool and well-written." I grinned. Then I stopped talking. "I'm sorry; I get excited with marching band stuff." Clark merely laughed.

"Actually, I wish did band instead of football."

"Well, why didn't you do it?" Obviously I knew the answer why; Clark's abilities got in the way.

"I tried playing guitar, but ended up breaking the strings. Plus money was kind of tight." Clark half admitted. I made a small grimace.

"That sucks." I winced. "You missed out on a lot."

"I know I did. I regret it." He was solemn for a moment. "How about we finish the tour? You look tired."

"Alright," I followed him. Clark led the way into the house showing me the kitchen, the living room, a small study, and one of the downstairs bathrooms. I felt my heart leap when I saw the piano I started on. Several photos of our family were scattered throughout the house. Some were of me when I was little, Clark's childhood, me riding on Clark's shoulders, sitting in Clark's lap underneath a tree napping, and my eyes rested on a family portrait. There was Clark standing behind Mom with a hand on her shoulder and me around the age of two sitting on my father's lap.

_Dad_, I thought with a pang of sadness. Tears burned my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. That didn't help with the tightening feeling in my chest. Clark seemed to notice.

"Are you alright?" He asked scanning my face with a concerned expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I took a deep breath. "It's just that my shoulder is flaring up."

"Let me get your painkillers."

"I took a little before we left the hospital. They haven't kicked in yet, but I'll be fine." I assured.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"If you feel like you're going to fall over, just grab on to my arm." Clark notified. I nodded in reply. He led the way upstairs to the second floor. The first door on the left was the bathroom. Across from that was Clark's room. Further down was my bedroom from my childhood years, then my parents' room, and a guest room.

Clark led me down the hall to the guest room. Being the gentleman my parents raised him to be, he held the door open and gestured me inside. The room was small just like the rest of the bedrooms in the house. There was a bed in one corner with a quilt folded up neatly at the foot of the bed. Next to the bed was a desk made out of oak wood adorned with beautiful carvings in the drawers. There was a bedside table with a small white lamp on top. On the other side was a dresser. I pulled a drawer open to find clothes in my size folded neatly and placed in the drawer.

"Chloe went shopping for clothes in your size while you were still in the hospital." Clark explained. I pushed the drawer closed.

"Clark, I really appreciate everything you're doing for me. I don't think anyone would do something like this for me." I stared at him. Something flickered in him. Something good flickered in him.

"You're welcome." He replied giving me a small smile. "My parents taught me valuable things over the years." It let out a small sigh. "Go ahead and get some rest, Sarah. Having an injury like yours isn't good for you if you're up and around. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Alright, then," I replied. Clark exited the room leaving me alone. I wasn't alone for long when Shelby padded into the room. I sat down on the bed and he rested his massive golden head on my knee. I let out an exhausted sigh. "What am I going to do, Shelby?" I cupped his head and nuzzled him. He affectionately nuzzled back and licked my face in return. I rolled on my back staring at the ceiling. Within a few minutes, I succumbed to sleep.

_I was in the hospital room again. Clark was there at the foot of my bed, but he was not alone. Luke stood there at the doorway. Hesitantly, he knocked._

_ Clark turned and looked. A sad smiled was etched on his face. _"_Luke," He stood up and shook his hand, "We haven't formally met. I'm Sarah's brother."_

_ "I've heard all about you. She speaks highly of you." Luke replied. "It's an honor to finally meet you." The two of them were silent and looked at the figure of me lying in the bed. "Any change?" Luke walked to the side and sat down in a chair next to the bed._

_ "Nothing at all," Clark replied grimly. Luke gazed at the figure of me and his eyes brimmed with tears. Taking this as a private moment, Clark left the room so Luke had some time to himself. Luke slipped his hand into one of my hands and ran his thumbs lightly over my knuckles. I felt his touch on my own hand._

_ "I don't know if you can hear me, but they say when people are…" He took a shaky breath and spoke with a quivering voice, "Well, they can hear you." I stood next to him and held his hand at his side. "I never knew my life could be affected so much by one person. When I first heard you were in the hospital, I dropped everything and broke down right there on the spot." A few tears began to fall down his face. "Ever since we hung out a few days ago, you have constantly been on my mind. I can't stop thinking about you. Whenever I think about you, I can't breathe and I get butterflies. You mean so much to me. I just wish you were here to hear it." Luke laid his head down on the bed and he shook with sobs. A painful lump was lodged in my throat. Tears fell down my face and I squeezed his hand._

_ "I love you." I whispered with a sob. Luke looked up and stared at the figure in the bed._

_ "W-what?" He stared at me with wide eyes. I froze in place. Did he hear me? How? How was it possible?_

"Sarah," A voice called my name. "Sarah, wake up. It's only a dream. You're sage." I shot up from the bed, looking straight into the eyes of Clark. He was gently gripping my shoulders in comfort. "Hey, you're alright. It was just a dream." I sat there shaking in fear. "Did you dream about the alley?" Too stunned to speak, I lied by nodding. I didn't want to explain how my dreams I'm having here are actually what's happening in the present.

I pulled my knees to my chin and held on tightly, trying to stop the shaking. Since that didn't help much, I pressed my forehead to my knees and took deep, but shaky breaths. I tried to hide the tears, but it was impossible. "They keep happening. I keep having dreams about that night. Even in the hospital I had them."

Clark cautiously put a comforting arm around my shoulders and sat on my bed. "We all have moments where we face death, but we survive. Your mind just hasn't fully registered what happened that night." I took another shaky breath and sighed. "Tell you what; how about we go down to the kitchen. I'll make you some tea and something to eat."

"Okay." I barely managed to get out. I followed him downstairs to the kitchen and sat at the table. Clark brewed a cup of chamomile and cooked a bowl of soup. I sat silently as I ate my dinner, but it was only half of the bowl.

"Are you alright?" He asked. I pushed my bowl aside and nodded, rubbing my tired eyes.

"I'll be fine for now." I sighed. I was silent for a few minutes staring aimlessly at the mug of tea. "I dreamed about the alley again and I was staring down the barrel. After he shot me I collapsed on the ground. Instead of being saved by someone, no one came." I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down. Clark moved his chair so he was right across from me. Comfortingly, he put a hand on my non-injured shoulder.

"You're here and alive. That's all what matters. Everything is going to be alright." He gave me a reassuring smile and his unearthly blue eyes sparkled. I gave a weak smile in return. "I have to work tomorrow, but Chloe is going to pick you up and the two of you are going to hang out."

"That seems like a good way to keep my mind off of things." I agreed. For the rest of the night Clark and I sat there talking to each other until the wee early hours of the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ello my fellow readers!**

**So, now that school is done and that I'm officially a freshman in college, I shall have more time to work on my stories! Well at least for the summer. Still in the process of finding a summer job and so far it's pretty meh trying to find one. Anyway, should be an interesting summer. I'll try to post more chapters as soon as I can. **

**-SHF95**

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

I remember sitting on the couch talking to Clark. When I woke up later there was a pillow behind my head, a blanket draped over me, and Shelby was fast asleep on the floor next to the couch. Sunlight poured through the windows creating a soft glow in the living room. I pulled myself up from the couch and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Clark greeted from the kitchen.

"'Lo," I mumbled sleepily and sat at the island counter. Clark slid a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns, and a glass of orange juice in front of me. The aroma hit me full force and my stomach growled. More alert of how hungry I was, I forked through my breakfast. Clark chuckled a little. I froze with a fork of hash browns near me, then placed it down on my plate, blushing a little. "Sorry." I winced. He merely laughed.

"You seem more like yourself today." He gave a small smile. "That's good because yesterday you were out of it."

"Hospitals drain me." I replied. "Well, not literally." I closed my mouth immediately when I realized I was rambling. Clark didn't seem to notice.

"Chloe will be here in an hour to pick you up to take you into the city to hang out and do whatever crazy things kinds your age do." Clark informed. "I unfortunately have to work." He huffed out a sigh. "I better get ready. A co-worker of mine is going to pick me up in a half hour. Are you sure you'll be fine on your own for a bit?"

"I'll be fine." I assured him. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"Yet you have stitches in your shoulder." Clark pointed out. I made a face at him and he laughed. "When you get them out take it easy, alright?"

"That's the plan." I agreed. "How long will that be?"

"A few weeks perhaps. It all depends on the rate you heal because that was quite the wound you have there."

"And what about the hospital bill?"

"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it." He assured with a small smile again. Clark then headed upstairs to get ready, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I sat there and finished my breakfast, then let Shelby outside. I cleaned my plate and makeshift bed and sat on the couch, thinking hard. The soft ticking of the clock focused my thoughts. I zoned in and focused my hearing on the sounds around me. Clark was upstairs taking a shower and I could hear a car approaching in the driveway. So soon?

The car came to a halt and the engine was cut. Footsteps crunched in the gravel and a woman was muttering to herself as she approached the house.

"_Great, Lois, way to be late. Coffee shop screws up your order and you spill it on yourself in the car. Great. Just great."_ I pulled out as she approached the porch and headed to the door. The doorbell rang and there was a rap at the door.

"Sarah, could you get that?" Clark called from upstairs.

"I'm on it." I replied reaching the door. I fumbled with the lock and opened the door. Standing there was a young Lois Lane. Her chestnut hair was pulled back and her eyes shone with excitement. She was neatly dressed in a business suit apart from a splotch of coffee on her blouse. "Umm…" I stammered. Luckily Clark came up behind.

"Lois, you're early." He greeted.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." She realized. "I was rushing around this morning and the coffee shop messed up my order. Then I ended up staining my shirt. I'm such a mess."

"I bet we have a stain remover stick in the kitchen. Might as well come in." We moved out of the way for her to come in.

"So whom might you be?" Lois asked looking at me.

"This is my second cousin Sarah on my dad's side of the family." Clark wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave me a playful noogie. "She's staying with me while her brother is on a trip out of town." I wrapped my arms around Clark.

"Yep, he's my favorite cousin." I smiled at him.

"You actually could pass off as brother and sister since you look closely alike." Lois said. Clark and I forced a laugh. Except mine was more of a nervous laugh. We released each other, then Clark went to go grab a stain stick. "So where are you from, Sarah?"  
>"Brooklyn." I calmly lied.<p>

"Ah, such a nice place." She commented.

"What about you?"  
>"I'm an army brat so I moved a lot."<p>

"That must've been hard on you at a young age." I grimaced.

"It was for a while." She replied. "So you live with your older brother?"

"Yeah, my parents died in a car accident when I was nine. He's been taking care of me ever since then and we've become incredibly close to each other." I fibbed calmly.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." A little sadness filled Lois's eyes. "That must have been incredibly tough."

"It was at first, but we moved on." I replied. Clark came into the room and handed Lois the stain stick.

"You're a life saver, Clark." She thanked him.

_Oh, you have no idea_, Clark and I thought together. I bit my tongue to suppress the chuckle. There was a small sparkle in Clark's eyes.

"It's no problem." He replied.

"So, Sarah, got a special guy back at home?" Lois asked as she applied the stain remover to the coffee stain.

"I kind of do." I replied a bit sheepishly.

"What's this? My cousin has a boyfriend?" Clark chuckled and I started to blush.

"Technically speaking he didn't ask me yet." I blushed even more.

"But you like each other!" Lois laughed. "Ah, young love. Such a fun time." Clark glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Whoa, look at the time." He grabbed his stuff. Lois noticed too.

"Well, it was lovely meeting you, Sarah." We shook hands.

"It was nice to meet you, too." I smiled.

"Chloe will be here soon to pick you up." Clark headed to the door. "See you later."

"Later," I gave a small wave. Clark turned around.

"One more thing," He added, "Take it easy on the shoulder. Your pain medication is on the counter. Take those with you when Chloe's here."

"Go or you'll be late." I let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He gave me one last look, then headed out.

_She's really growing on me_, Clark mentally chuckled. I headed upstairs to the bathroom to take a shower. I turned the water on, got undressed, and carefully peeled my bandage off, wincing in the process. My left shoulder was a mess. It was bright red, swollen a little, and where the stitches were at, a thick angry dark line that branched out a little held the torn skin together.

I carefully climbed into the shower wincing as I moved my shoulder carefully. It throbbed painfully. As soon as water touched my shoulder, the pain subsided. I scrubbed my body and washed my hair. Then I stood there for a few minutes letting the hot water release tension in my shoulders. After I felt relaxed, I shut the water off and dried off with a towel. My shoulder looked ten times better after letting the water heal my shoulder a little.

I wrapped the towel around me and headed to the bedroom to get dressed. I pulled out jeans, socks, undergarments, a black t-shirt, and my maroon jacket. Quickly, I changed into my clothes before heading back in to the bathroom to apply a new bandage on my shoulder, brush my teeth, and pull my hair up into a messy bun. The doorbell rang from downstairs. I hurried down the stairs, wallrunning in the process. There was a glimpse of short blond hair on a short woman in in the window.

"Chloe!" I greeted while opening the door.

"Sarah!" She pulled me into a gentle hug. "How are you? How's the shoulder?"

"I'm decent." I replied. "The shoulder's throbbing, but it's alright." I released her and moved aside to let her in.

"Well, that's better than nothing." She replied. "You ready for today?"

"I have to put my shoes on, but yes I'm ready." I hurried up the stairs to the bedroom, grabbing my high tops and laced them on my feet. Before I left, I gave Shelby a small pat on the head. He licked my cheek with affection. "See you later, Shelby." I headed back down to Chloe where she was patiently waiting by the door. "Sorry for the wait."

"It's fine." She waved it away. "Do you have everything you need?" I grabbed my medication and stuck it in my pocket. We headed out, locking the door behind us and climbed into the car.

"So, what are we doing exactly?" I asked while buckling up.

"I was thinking of heading into the city and stopping at a coffee shop, maybe go to the mall, and stop at Queen Industries to visit a friend of ours." Chloe replied while starting the car.

"Seems like a good plan." I agreed. "So who is this friend that we'll see?"

"His name is Oliver Queen. He's head of the company. Just to warn you, he has his moments, but he's still a great guy."

"You mean he has his Playboy moments?" I chuckled. Chloe laughed as well, but I saw a slight blush in her cheeks.

"Yes, that's exactly what it is." She nodded.

"You like him?" I asked. Chloe bit her lower lip in thought, blushing more. "Oh, my God, you do!"

"How is it that I can talk to you so easily about this when I've known you for a very short time?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I guess I have one of those faces." The rest of the ride was entertaining as we headed into the city. We got the chance to learn more about each other.

* * *

><p>It was even more entertaining when I learned of Chloe's need for coffee at the coffee shop. She couldn't go a day without it. Most of our time was spent at the mall where we bought a few scented items from a Bath &amp; Body Works, several books from a bookstore, and a few clothes. We walked around a bit and ate lunch before heading off to Queen Industries.<p>

"So what should I expect from Oliver?" I asked as we stepped through the doors of Queen Industries.

"Oliver can be sarcastic sometimes. He's funny, but can be sarcastic. Overall, he's a great guy." Chloe explained. We approached the desk where a receptionist sat. She was blond, but had a thick layer of makeup on. I mentally winced at the sight.

"Can I help you?" She asked in a bored voice, not really paying attention.

"Chloe Sullivan here to see Oliver Queen." The receptionist pressed a small button on the desk phone.

"Mr. Queen, Chloe Sullivan is here to see you." There was a small blip before there was a reply.

"Thank you, Lydia. Send her up." A young male voice replied from the speaker. Chloe motioned me to follow her. We stepped in a glass elevator and pressed a button to Queen's office.

"Is it just me, or did she have _way _too much makeup on?" I asked.

"Oh, my God, I thought it was just me thinking that." Chloe started laughing. I started laughing with her. We continued laughing all the way up to the floor that was Queen's office.

The doors slid open as we reached the top floor. The two of us stepped out and headed two large set of oak doors. Chloe knocked three times and waited.

"It's open, Chloe." The same voice from the intercom called from inside. Chloe turned the knob and pushed the door forward, gesturing me inside. The office was somewhat large, but nicely decorated in modern design with plenty of light flooding through the windows. There were several bookcases, a couch, coffee table, armchairs, and a large glass desk. Behind the desk sat a young man with a sculpted face, short blond hair that was spiked, warm brown eyes, and a friendly smile. "Chloe." He smiled.

"Hey, Oliver." She smiled back, closing the door. Oliver crossed the room in a few strides and greeted her in a hug. _Awww, they'd make a cute couple_. They released each other with a slight blush.

"Oliver, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Oliver Queen." Chloe introduced us to teach other. Oliver stuck a hand out and I shook it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Queen." I replied.

"Please, call me Oliver. Any friend of Chloe and Clark is a friend of mine. There's no need for formal names." With just one look at him, my mind was swept back to the night of the accident. I remember standing on top of the crane and a man clad in green leather with a bow strapped to his back. So _this _was Oliver. Corporal businessman by day, vigilante in green leather by night. My mind drifted off again as I thought to myself.

"Sarah," Chloe looked at me. "Sarah, are you okay?" I jumped a little.

"Yeah," I replied after a few moments. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling a little drained."

"Take a seat. I'll get you both something to drink." Oliver offered. I sat down in one of the armchairs while Chloe took the other. Oliver walked over to a small metal mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of coke and water. "Caffeine helps take the edge off." He handed me the bottle of soda.

"Thanks," I took the bottle, opening it and taking a sip.

"And with an injury like yours, that I have heard, it'll take a lot of energy out of you." Oliver added. "I've had my fair share of injuries. Just give it time and plenty of rest. You'll be fine."

* * *

><p>For the rest of the afternoon we spent it talking to Oliver. It felt a little strange because in the present Clark never mentioned about Chloe and Oliver. Maybe something happened to them. The more time I spent there, I began to get to know them better as they did with me. Well, sort of. There are things that I couldn't explain to them. Not yet at least. When the time is right I will tell them.<p>

When Chloe drove me back home, it began to pour. I felt rejuvenated as the rain hit my skin. I stood outside for a bit and let myself get drenched.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out longer." Chloe laughed.

"Are you kidding? I f I catch a cold, it'll be worth it." I grinned. "I absolutely love the rain."

"Well, you'll love these next few weeks. All we're getting is rain." She explained. "There's a supposed storm that is coming. Some people are worried about flooding near creeks and rivers, so they began evacuation."

"Aren't you worried about where you live?"

"The Talon? It'll be safe there. I'm not worried." I felt a little more relaxed as the rain thrummed on the roof of the car. The ride home was quiet, but I felt calm. "So what do you think of Oliver?"

"He's…" I thought for a moment. "Interesting. I can tell that he likes you. And it's obvious you like him." Chloe's mouth hung open, but she was laughing. Her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Yes," I chuckled. "But to him, probably not. Guys are known not to be very observant."

"You know, for a good while I liked Clark. I had this huge crush on him in high school, but he always had his eyes set on Lana Lang. She was pretty and smart. What is there not to like about her?" I bit my lower lip in thought.

_Clark never mentioned Lana Lang to me_, I thought. "Well, I've only known you for a while, but I think you're very intelligent and definitely pretty."

"You're too kind." Chloe chuckled. I sat there flabbergasted.

"I'm serious!" I laughed.

"Well, it's much appreciated." She smiled.

* * *

><p>Clark was waiting for us on the porch, sitting on the swing and enjoying the cool air mixed with rain.<p>

"You two seem to be in a good mood." Clark spoke as we walked up to the steps.

"Now is that a crime, especially for someone like me?" I asked with a grin. Clark chuckled.

"I suppose not." He smiled. "It's good to see you in a better mood."

"Oliver took quite a liking to her. We all got along very well." Chloe put in. "And we talked about you in the car." I wiped my feet on the welcome mat and headed inside.

"We'll let you think on that if it's good or bad." I replied slyly. I mentally chuckled at the look on Clark's face. I headed up to my room, but kept an ear on them.

"_She's a lot like you, Clark." _Chloe spoke.

"_I've noticed that. She's practically an older version of my sister. Straight down to the eyes. That has to be a coincidence." _Clark replied.

"_Maybe, maybe not. But, with a city like ours maybe it's not a coincidence."_

"_I got a call from Emil today about Sarah. He was doing some blood work on Sarah and he noticed something. Her blood isn't completely human. It's metahuman." _

"_You mean Sarah has abilities? No wonder she kept quiet all the time."_

"_Well, let's think. She's staying in a house of strangers. Plus when I found her shot that night in the alley, there was a group of men in black chasing her. Almost as if they want her for something."_

"_We need to keep a close eye on her. What's Emil going to do about the blood sample?"_

"_He won't expose it. He'll destroy the evidence. If he can keep my secret about being Kryptonian and possessing abilities, then this shouldn't be a problem for him."_

I slid down against the wall in disbelief. _They know_. A few tears fell down my face. _How am I going to escape?_


	7. Chapter 7

**As promised, here's the next chapter. It'll be a little while before I post the next chapter up. Having a bit of a block, but definitely do appreciate the reviews. :)**

**-SHF95**

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

The next few weeks were a little rough. Clark, Chloe, and Oliver stayed somewhat close whenever we were deep within the city. On the bright side my shoulder was getting better. According to Clark my stitches would be coming out today, which was wonderful. The stitches made my shoulder itch. I spent my time out in the barn stacking bales of hay to help me get back into parkour. The stacking of the bales of hay built up strength and building them up made excellent obstacles. I was a little rusty, but I was able to jump back in. My dreams unfortunately weren't getting any better. As weeks passed in this time, days pass back in the present. Clark's been at my bedside most of the time, but he switches with Mom when he has to go to work and save the world. Luke would visit a lot as well. Just like Clark, he would stay by my side.

Most of the time he was quiet, but he would also hold my hand lightly running his thumbs across my knuckles. He would tell stories; stories of how we first met and how he was drawn to me since the first time he laid eyes on me. Even when he dated other girls, he still could never get me out of his head. _"There's just something about you, Sarah. Something about you that's always pulled my thoughts back to you."_ He said one day. _"I've never cared this much for one person. Even when I acted like an asshole to you, you never left me. God, I feel like an idiot now. I've fallen for you. I've fallen so hard and now you're here in the hospital. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."_

Jason didn't take the whole situation too well either. He would bring me a picture every time he came to visit with Lois or Richard. He would ask one of the adults if I would wake up. I've even seen him ask if Superman were able to help. Pain was written all over Clark's face. _I don't know how, but I'll get out of here. Somehow. _

I climbed down the steps to the kitchen in a sleepy daze. Clark was nowhere to be seen, but there was a note left on the counter.

_Sarah,_

_ Had to leave early for work this morning. Chloe will pick you up at 10:30 to get your stitches removed by Doctor Hamilton. There's eggs and bacon in the pan. Won't get home until late tonight so you'll have to fend for yourself for dinner. Stay safe, kiddo._

_ Clark_

I checked the clock; 9:30. I wolfed down breakfast and washed it down with orange juice before heading up to the bathroom to shower. I turned on the shower and undressed myself. My wound was pink and puckered, but it still looked cool. _That'll be a story to tell_. I no longer required the bandage, which I felt quite glad about. That bandage made my arm fee cumbersome.

As soon as the water hit my skin, I felt more alert. I messed around with it, getting used to working with my ability again. I pushed and pulled the water, just as if the moon were pushing and pulling the ocean waters of a tide. I lost myself as I used my abilities, but the sound of a car pulling up brought me out. Quickly I shut the water off and stepped out. Water was everywhere on the floor. _Whoops_.

I wrapped a towel around me and guided the water back into the tub. I hurried to my room, got dressed, brushed my teeth and hair, and then ran downstairs. I wall-ran on the way down because Chloe was at the door. I slipped my high tops on and pulled the door open.

"You ready?" Chloe asked. I stepped out locking the door behind me.

"Yep." We headed to her car and pulled out. The rain was coming down harder than it was days before. I tied my high tops on was we headed deep into the city. "God, I can't wait to get these stitches out." I scratched at my shoulder a little. Chloe chuckled in amusement.

"I bet. How long has it been?"

"Six weeks today." I replied. "It doesn't feel like it, though. It feels shorter than that." Chloe pulled into the parking garage. A black van was sitting near the entrance. A chill went down my spine. I recognized the plates. _Oh God, they're here. _I tried putting on a bravado to hide the sudden fear. _Oh God, what do I do?_

_ Stay calm. Whatever you do, stay calm_, a small voice in my head told me. _You don't need to spread panic. _I held on to the voice. Something about it seemed oddly familiar.

_Don't leave me,_ I panicked.

_I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here with you, _the voice said. _Now, go be the brave girl I know. _Chloe went up a few levels in the hospital's parking garage.

_That black van's following us, _Chloe noticed. "I'm going to drop you off right here. Head inside and I'll meet you there." I nodded understanding my instructions. Chloe pulled to a stop and I hurried out into the hospital before the black van came by again.

"Please be okay." I prayed softly. I waited for a few minutes and Chloe came in. I let out a sigh of relief. Chloe looked slightly shaken, but she was okay. We headed to the receptionist desk where a woman sat.

"Sarah Knight is here to see Doctor Hamilton to get stitches removed." Chloe informed.

"Go down the hall to the elevators. Doctor Hamilton will be on the fourth floor in room 418." The woman directed. We headed down the hall to the elevators. Out of the corner of my eye I saw two men in black at the entrance. My blood ran cold when he turned. It was Darius.

"Chloe," I grabbed her arm and panicked. "That's the man who shot me in the alley." Chloe looked and her face paled. The elevator approached our floor with a small ding.

"Hurry," She moved to the doors. "Get in." My heart was beating in terror.

"What are they doing here?" I backed up against the wall. "How did they find me?" Chloe came up next to me and wrapped an arm around me.

"We're going to get through this. I promise you we'll find a way out. First thing, we get the stitches removed, okay?" I nodded. "Good girl." I was trembling slightly. It was weird. I've never felt this afraid before. The elevator approached the fourth floor and the doors slid open. We hurried out and half jogged down the hall in case Darius was around.

405…407…410…414…416…418. We nearly passed it, but we came to a skidding stop. Chloe knocked on Doctor Hamilton's door. The door opened and there stood a man with tan skin, dark curly hair, and glasses.

"Chloe," He greeted. Then he looked at me. "Ah, Sarah. Last time I saw you, you were still asleep from the anesthesia. How's your shoulder feeling?"

"Much better." I replied.

"Good. Just let me get a few things and we can head to an examination room to remove your stitches." Doctor Hamilton head to his desk and grabbed a few things. "This way." We followed him to an examination room. He closed the door behind him as I sat on the table.

I shrugged my jacket off and rolled up my sleeve. The doctor took a close look at my wound. "Ah, that's healed up quite nicely. Unfortunately when we remove the stitches there will be some scarring."

"Doesn't bother me at all." I waved it away. "Scars are like badges. Plus, this will be a story to tell in the future." Doctor Hamilton chuckled. He headed to the sink to clean his hands, pulled on a pair of latex gloves, an alcohol swab cloth, scissors, and forceps.

He sterilized the area and clipped a few knots. Then he loosened the stitches and pulled them out with the forceps. I winced a little as they came out. When he was finished after five to ten minutes, he put another bandage on my wound. "Just keep it clean and there won't be an infection."

"Thank you so much, Doctor Hamilton." I said with gratefulness.

"No problem. Just take it easy."

Chloe and I headed back out to the elevator, watching out for Darius and his men. I felt like an animal being hunted. Now I know what it feels like to be an animal. For a few moments, the parking lot was silent. Then the large black van pulled out in front of us with a screeching halt. The air stunk of burnt rubber. The doors opened with men jumping out and Darius sauntering out.

"Run!" Chloe screamed. I didn't hesitate. I vaulted off of the cars and landed on a few men, knocking them out in the process. A few more came and I dodged their grasp. "Sarah, run! Get the hell out of here!" Chloe was caught in a hold. I ran to help, but someone grabbed my injured shoulder and dug their fingers in. I cried out in pain and fell hard on my knees.

"Did you think you could escape me?" A low voice teased. I looked up to find Darius. He got down to my level and smiled at me. He brushed a loose strand of hair from my face. "We did a little research on you, my dear. You're a rare bird. One of three successful experiments of ARCON. You're our property." I spat at his feet.

"I belong to no one." I replied icily. Darius forced me to look at him. I saw a hunger in his eyes I didn't like.

"We'll see about that." He smiled that terrible smile. "Knock the blond one out and put our little gem under." I saw a blow land on Chloe and she collapsed on the ground unconscious.

"Chloe!" I screamed and struggled. Darius gripped me tight and a cloth with a sickening sweet scent filled my nostrils. Almost immediately, everything began to feel heavy and go dark. I struggled so hard to fight against the effects of the drugs, but I was fighting a losing battle. I felt myself succumb to the darkness and go limp.


End file.
